Tom Bishop

Tom was dissatisfied with the dinette table center post on his C&C 35. You couldn’t put things under the table, and the post was greasy and difficult to stow when the table was converted into a bed. He devised a clever elbow configuration to eliminate the original support and made the two-piece table fold up (no swing-down panels here) to take up less space when not needed. The old center post with the new two-part table, at right. A view of the new table bottom, far right. On facing page, simple brackets, at left, are through-bolted to the wall of the settee near the floor. The elbow is fitted, center, and the table attached, at right. The new table maximizes cabin space by remaining folded in half most of the time, even when a small crew needs a convenient lunch counter.

Improving a dinette table

Custom “elbows” mean more footroom, easier handling Issue 51 : Nov/Dec 2006 It’s very common for older boats with dinettes to have a pedestal post for the tabletop. This allows the tabletop to serve d...

August 18, 2026